Reporters James Steele and Don Barlett argue that government and business policies have betrayed the 'American Dream.' Through studies and stories, they investigate the systemic erosion of America's middle class in their book "The Betrayal of the American Dream."

"Everyone loves Apple. Apple makes nothing in this country anymore," Barlett tells NPR's Steve Inskeep as an example. "But then, look over here on the other side and you have Intel, and their plants are massive, and they are good-paying jobs. They continue to invest in this country. And what we need in this country now are more Intels and fewer Apples."

For models of how to boost manufacturing and job growth in the U.S., Barlett and Steele look abroad. "Germany has had a fairly good record in recent years," Steele says. When the global financial meltdown happened, Germany adopted a policy that subsidized companies in order to help them keep employees on the rolls. "It's one of the reasons the German unemployment rate is much lower than in this country," he says.

Barlett and Steele joined The Daily Circuit Oct. 15, 2012 to discuss their book.